The invention relates to a downhill sliding course or sliding track for sliding objects and persons down a slope or a hill comprising of covering or cladding elements for covering the surface of the slope and a water source to moisten the elements with water. With suitable accessories activities similar to skiing, sleighing and surfing can be performed on the sliding course. Accordingly, the object of the invention includes also accessories that can be used to perform these activities. The invention provides individual appliances to implement the sliding course.
All summer and winter sports are based on conditions created by nature, making use to smaller or grater extent of all possibilities available at the site and the possibilities provided by the climatic conditions.
The biggest obstacle to summer skiing is that water runs-off very fast form the slopes and artificial ski trails. The continuous replacement of the run-off water has been solved earlier too, replacing it by way of a simple pump making the surface of the slope slippery and cooling it at the same time.
But this water is very different from the snow suitable for skiing or from the waves of the ocean. It is not only warmer, melted, but it also moves along (or faster) with the user of the slope, and therefore there is no difference of impulse between them which could be used for control (it is a good visual illustration that an excellent snow covered slope is only suitable for skiing as long as the snow is stagnant, and at the moment the snow starts to slidexe2x80x94when avalanche developsxe2x80x94the skier is no longer able to direct the ski with the help of the snow moving together with him, and is carried away together with any obstacles on its path.
For all sports mentioned above the basic paradigm of physics is valid: namely the phenomenon and law of conservation of momentum. It states that all bodies conserve their original state of movement as long as external forces do not force them to change it. In an closed system comprising two bodies of any type the change in the state of motion of one of the bodies is equal to the change in the state of motion of the other. In the instant case the two bodies are the user and the sliding course (slope) or the user and the water. Thus, changing the state of motion is only possible, if there is an other body, which can be forced to change its state of motion. This other body can be the Earth, sufficient quantity of water, air, etc. The change in the state of motion is determined by the vector sum of the effect of one or more forces. In the case of skiing, the change in the state of motion for hard slope is the result of the friction force and the force of inertia of the dislodged snow, while for powder snow the force of inertia of the dislodged snow alone. In the case of surfing the reaction force of the dislodged water enables the sports person to control the movement. In the case of slides directing is impossible as the water moves together with the user, sometimes even faster than the user, and instead of giving a support for controlling direction the water sweeps away the user using a different sign forcing.
One of the most enjoyable types of sliding is ski, particularly Alpine skiing. The sliding modes described in the technical state of the art try to create all these enjoyment in the climatic conditions of summer. All modes, which have become independent sport can reproduce however only in a limited way the feeling of sliding down a high forest slope on a stable snow. Besides their special advantages and extraordinary richness in experience all have some disadvantages, which should be eliminated.
We have observed that sea wave surfing is the sport that provides the movement experiences closest to skiing (and within that the sport that co-ordinates movement in a slope at a higher level, snowboarding, which is expanding rapidly). Nevertheless, there are a number of circumstances that hinder it becoming a real mass sport.
It can only be pursued at sections of the beach where the wind and soil surface support the evolution of exceptionally high, braking waves. (Skiing too, can only be pursued in winter, and only on the mountains, and thus, for instance, the several billion people living in poorer and warmer countries are excluded form it.)
It is only possible to surf when wind conditions are ideal (it is only possible to ski when snow conditions are good, although snow cannons are already available).
In order to have time to enjoy travelling upon the waves it is necessary to get into the see far away from the shore swimming hard. (this corresponds to the necessity of climbing up to the top of a hill in order to slide down).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,122 describes a slide of inhomogeneous inclination built on sloped terrain, imitating the experience of wave surfing, where the slippery surface is provided by a constant flow of water onto a plastic surface coming from pipes located at not too big distances from each other on the underside, while the surfer slides down the slide on a footboard similar to the surfing board or a snowboard.
The deficiencies of this known solution are the following:
The water supply of the sloped surface is not solved. The planned water supply system is not able to provide an even water layer with even water thickness.
The thickness of the water is unregulated to such an extent, that is not possible to exclude fully the formation of deep rivulets, streams hindering the sliding down, while at other places the covering surface might remain completely dry. For this reason, the friction and resistance will change from centimeter to centimeter making the control of direction more difficult.
Nothing in the irregular covering surface with a curvature that is not pre-calculable, ensures the even spreading of the water. The introduction of the water at numerous discrete points provides only an imaginary solution and only at the start of the operation, since at the points of outflow as a result of the special outlet the water spreads, but due to the unevenness and curvature of the surface on the one hand, and to the springing effect of surface tension, after a distance of just but a fraction of a meter the water forms a stream.
It is a significant disadvantage that the water needs to be supplied almost evenly on the whole height of the route for even the hope of having the water spread evenly, but in this way at the bottom of the slope the full volume of water is collected and the water layer will probably be thick, making impossible to control the direction of sliding and taking away the enjoyment.
The depicted water supply system requires large volumes of water as the water poured onto the surface flows away immediately and so the water must be replaced continuously, otherwise the surface will not be evenly moist. To minimize water demand the inclination of the slope must be maximized at 7-20 deg.
The yield of the water outlet points must be carefully regulated, but at least carefully adjusted, and this is a meter the patent does not discuss at all. Lacking this, the inequality of the water flow is even greater.
The water outlet points and the piping conducting to them must be positioned before the construction of the track covering, and therefore the effect of the water-film and how much additional water is still required can only be observed later, but modifications, if necessary, can only be carried out by breaking-up the covering.
Should the water run on the track be spread evenly in spite of the above, even then a favorable direction control could not be achieved as the principle of physics to be described later suffers, as the momentum conservation phenomena used for controlling direction does not make the change in the state of motion possible for bodies moving together.
In practice, the shaping of the sliding device xe2x80x9cboardxe2x80x9d makes difficult and cumbersome the required steering. The exertion of the bottom steering element arrests the slide at times even when this is not desirable, and when turning (banking) the user must tilt over the plane defined by the steering element and the board, which causes instability.
At higher speeds the protuberant bottom steering element will only sink into the material of the covering panel and produced the required effect if the user is rather experienced Oust think about unwilling acceleration).
EP 0 873 770 A1 xe2x80x9cSURFSLIDING METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SLIDING ON ARTIFICAL SURFACESxe2x80x9d provides method and apparatus for surfing on artificial surface.
The shortages of this known method are the following:
does not provide even miniaturization, because although the excess drip water is partially drained, it is not able to spread evenly the water from the supply pipes.
Huge amounts of water are required for continuous operation, even when the water in the different sections is individually recalculated.
Huge dimensions also are required for the desired operation, as the size of the canal visibly exceeds that of a house.
Large amounts of capital are needed for constructing an architecturally correct facility.
It is questionable whether is it possible for more than one sports person to be close by.
It demands extensive surfing experiences.
The principle of operation resembles more that of the roller boarding than surfing, i.e. at high speeds it is difficult to stop based on braking on artificial grass, and thus the tracks planned for high speed can be life threatening.
The length of the characteristically enclosed track must be limited for clear end-to-end visibility; otherwise it is not possible to provide fast help in case of possible accidents.
The aim to be achieved by the invention is the production of a sliding course enabling direction controlled sliding executed on it on a suitable sloping terrain along with an additional auxiliary aim to provide an enjoyment or experience similar to winter skiing in summer, optionally to make it suitable for use in recreation parks, ski trail tracks or in enclosed or indoor areas. A further objective is that the sliding course be safe, environment friendly, energy and water saving, that its construction, maintenance and repair be as simple and cost saving as possible and that its use be easy to learn.
There are no sports opportunities in the summer recreation parks, bathing establishments that serve this purpose, require activity, and action, provide individual and collective enjoyment without requiring skill and knowledge, but demand toil and offer challenge. People looking for diversion can only chose dry-land team sports, i.e. ball games or at the most, can enjoy the passive delights of a slide, or can chose as recreation the passive joys of doing nothing.
It is true in general; the real enjoyment for people is action, movement that he is able to control at (direct) all times. There are actions that offer momentary pleasure e.g. slides, when for a short period the person looses control over their state of motion, but only because it is evident right form the beginning, that at the end they will arrive at a safe, controlled state.
The realization of an apparatus suitable to turn the world-wide practiced winter skiing, that had become a mass sport available to all into a sports activity that can be pursued In summer as an aquatic sport, by having the micro-terraces made along the surface of the slides made of more slippery material than ever, and made even more slippery with water poured on it stop the downpour of water, and thus rendering the sliding surface suitable for having direction controlled movement made on it.
If the upper surface layer of the water mass is separated by a suitable, watertight plastic sheet with a smooth surface, suitably soft and flexible, and dividing the water layer thus produced into small pools located in compartments, micro-terraces, than these micro-terraces will not allow the water to pour down. The losses caused by small seeping and the water dislodged during the use by objects, sports people, surfers sliding down can be simply replaced with the water pumped into the basin located at the top of the slide so that the water runs through a slipover and flows smoothly to the uppermost micro-terrace and down the others one after the next to the lowest micro-terrace replacing the water shortage in each of them.
The sliding course, which represents the most general solution of the task set, is given in claim No. 1. Its advantageous implementations are defined in pending claims 2-13.
The invention provides solution for the task from yet an other aspect, which is the covering element that serves to make the sliding course. The structure of this covering element is described in claim 18.